Why Learn Compilers (2021)

A sufficient understanding of computers is impossible without learning how compilers and their parts work. Compilers are also some of the most satisfying programs to write. Because compilers are largely deterministic closed-system problems - for each input, there is one and only output - it makes it really fun to iterate on a program without having to worry about external dependencies or a complicated setup. Writing the test & debugging framework around compilers can also be really fun. What do compilers have to do with art? Surprisingly I've found them a great source of inspiration for art projects. Take a listen here, and if you listen to enough programs, I believe you'll be able to identify them in the same way we recognize the shape of a program. As a programmer, you spend much of your day conversing with your compiler.